


The Epic Gamestop Mother

by grimmfairy



Series: Gamestop AUs of different fandoms [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, He meets an amazing mom, Mentions of videogames, Stiles Stilinski Has a Boyfriend, Super mom, gamestop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 11:37:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4563138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimmfairy/pseuds/grimmfairy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of Gamestop from a tumblr blog translated to Teen Wolf.</p><p>OKAY FRIENDS SINCE YOU LIKE HEARING ABOUT 13 YEAR OLDS GETTING OWNED LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT ONE OF MY GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR AS AN EMPLOYEE OF GAMESTOP</p><p>Basically, Stiles helps a mother get revenge when she finds out her son has been using her to buy really violent video games without her understanding the rating system since she assumed he would never ask for something bad. Background Sterek.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Epic Gamestop Mother

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yangwarrior](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yangwarrior/gifts).



Being a huge nerd and loving videogames made Stiles think that working at Gamestop for the employee discount and contact with fellow nerds was a brilliant idea. He was right on some days. True collectors of classic video-games and consoles would stop in and peruse the selection, or drop off an old console or game they didn't use anymore. College students trying to recapture some of their childhood would buy or replace GameCubes and PlayStations and Gameboys. They all had stories, recommendations, even cheat codes that he had yet to hear about.

Most days though, he had to sit through boring eight hour shifts with hardly any customers, and even fewer that actually bought something or brought something in. He was berated by customers who were certain that their battered old GameCube was still worth how much they paid for it when it was released. They griped about the $50 price tag on Smash Bros games and even accused him of setting the prices too high to discourage people from buying. They asked for discounts, made the same "So it's free!" joke every time the glitchy scanner couldn't read a barcode, and that was just the adults.

The teenagers that came in were the worst. He had to practically follow them around and make sure they weren't shoving games in their huge backpacks (like that wasn't obvious) or that their sweatshirts didn't have strange square protrusions. He even had a kid try to shove a GameBoy inside the leg of his girlfriend's boot until she screamed about him stretching the leather. That had been an interesting conversation.

Today, as usual, was the boring kind of day. No one had come in yet, and he had been there for almost two hours. People walked past the doors and occasional gave a half-interested glance inside, but so far no one had taken the plunge. He had just finished re-alphabetizing the games when the door chimed, alerting him to the presence of a customer. A middle aged woman was walking inside with a determined stride. She had no back pack or hoodie to shove things into, so Stiles relaxed somewhat, and she was an actual adult.

"Hi, welcome to Gamestop. Can I help you find something?"

"Yes, I need the new Grand Theft Auto game," She said, flashing a polite but genuine smile. "It's for my son."

"Sure, let me get that for you," Stiles replied as he headed to the case to get out the game. They kept the new releases behind a locked glass case now after too many incidents with overly eager shoppers. "I just restocked this. They'll be gone by tomorrow."

The lady smiled and gave a small laugh.

"Yes, my son was very insistent that I come today. Apparently he figured out when you would have the most in stock," She followed Stiles to the register and waited patiently for him to scan and bag the game. The ridiculous price flashed on the screen and the lady sighed indulgently.

"Um, I just need to see your ID now," Stiles said as he placed the bag on the counter. The lady, whom Stiles decided to refer to as Mom in his head due to the absolutely cozy sweater she was wearing that would make her hugs awesome, reached back into her wallet and grabbed her ID. Then a strange look came over her face.

"I'm sorry, this might be a silly question, but why exactly do you need to see my ID? Is it a rule when buying video games?" She looked only mildly curious as Stiles checked her ID and entered the required information to allow the transaction to go through. Before finalizing however, Stiles answered her.

"Well, in order to sell a game with an M-rating, I need to see the valid driver's license of a legal adult," Stiles explained. Mom nodded as if that made sense, then squinted in a confused manner.

"Wait...exactly what _does_ an M-rating mean?"

Stiles took a deep breath and first explained the basic concept of the rating system of videogames. Then he went into great detail about why exactly the entire Grand Theft Auto series was M, focusing mainly on the new one which, yes, he had played it. But he was an adult, damn it! He was mature enough to handle the extreme violence towards other drivers, pedestrians, prostitutes, and so on, not that he did. But judging by the look on Mom's face, her son was not.

"And basically, what I'm saying is that games with M-ratings are meant for 18 years and over, and they tend to be...pretty inappropriate. Especially the fifth GTA. I mean, gamer-instigated torture? Not great fro young children. You can look the game up online for confirmation," Stiles stopped talking at the look on Mom's face. That was the look that Melissa McCall, the mother of his best friend and his surrogate mother, got when she had picked them up from the station after he and her son had been picked up for TP-ing a bully's house when they had each told their parents they were at each other's houses. It was a look that promised retribution as soon as she was out of the public eye.

"I see. That won't be necessary dear. Can you please cancel this purchase? I apologize for the inconvenience," Mom said tightly, her smile less polite and more forced. "I told my son I don't like those games and I don't want him playing them. He's only thirteen years old! He should know better than to ask for this kind of game! I mean really...Anyways, he is in so much trouble!"

"Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

"Actually, can you look up a few of the games I've bought for him in the last few years?" And just like that, Stiles knew this kid's day was going to get a whole lot worse, and his was going to get a whole lot better.

"Absolutely. I probably know most of them by memory, and the rest I will happily look up for you," Stiles replied brightly. If there was anything he relished, it was preventing another thirteen year old from trolling gamers with language they didn't understand. Their looks of hatred when he refused to sell them games that were rated-M gave the strength to stay with this poor-paying black hole of boredom.

"Bioshock 2."

"Rated M," Stiles didn't need to look that one up.

Mom looked pissed.

"Bioshock 1?"

"Also rated M."

"Gears of War?"

"Definitely rated M," Stiles winced. He and Scott had played that game a lot.

"The Call of Duty games?"

"All of them are rated M."

"Naughty Bear? Surely that one can't be that bad."

"Actually..." Stiles checked the computer to be sure. "That one is rated teen, but it's a terribly disturbing game where you play a sadistic teddy bear that kills children with a variety of weapons. I've never met anyone that actually owns that twisted thing."

Mom looked deadly calm.

"Assassin's Creed, Halo, Mortal Combat, Dead Space 2."

"M, M, really M, _extremely_ M."

"You must think I'm a terrible mother, letting him have those games," Mom groaned. Stiles sighed understandingly. 

"Nah, he just took advantage of the fact that you're an awesome mom. The fact that you're concerned shows that."

"I can't believe I spent all that money on such...Well, what can I do now? I can't let him keep them." She looked helplessly at him. Stiles grinned evilly.

"Well, it sounds like he has quite the collection. You can trade those games and consoles in for a cash payment of store credit if they're in good condition instead of throwing them away," Stiles pointed to the sign that promised fair buyback prices. "You'd make at least some of the money back."

"You know what, I think I will. I don't want him playing those games anymore and I need him to know that he shouldn't take advantage of me. I'm going to go through his gaming collection tonight and I will be back tomorrow. Thank you, dear." 

And just like that, Mom walked out of the store, head held high and shoulders back. Stiles whistled.

"That kid is in deep shit."

* * *

**The next day**

"You're shitting me," Derek said, his voice slightly tinny over the phone. "This is fake."

"No, seriously! It was awesome! She was badass!" Stiles shoved some chips in his mouth. His lunch break was short and spent at the counter, as always, but he couldn't resist telling his boyfriend about the lady he was waiting for. "You should have seen it. She said she'd be back today to trade in some stuff or sell it. I wish you could be here for it."

"I wish I could too. My mom would feed me to the wolves if I lied to her like that."

"I know, I've met your mom. If I did that to _my_ mom, she'd barbecue me on Dad's grill. He'd bring the sweet corn," Stiles laughed with Derek as they each thought about their moms. "I have to go, I want to get the store in order before she gets here."

"You have that store perfectly organized already, don't lie," Derek teased. "You just can't wait to see your new hero again."

"Shut up. If you'd met Mom, you'd be the same way. Ooh wait, here she comes! Gotta go, love you bye!" Stiles was too excited to see Mom to even bask in the glory of being able to so casually say 'I love you' to Derek.

Mom was struggling at the door with several reusable shopping bags so Stiles hurried over and held the door for her.

"Well hello, dear! I'm so glad you're here! I want you to get credit for this," Mom looked excited. "I decided as I went through his pile of M-rated games that anything I bought him I would bring back for credit, which is basically everything. He couldn't buy anything rated M without me, right?"

Stiles confirmed this and rang up basically every rated M game from the last five or six years for the XBox 360 and PS3 that she plunked down on the counter. Stiles wished there was another person in the store to witness the greatness of this moment with him. By the time he was done ringing up the games and both consoles for store credit, Mom had over $300 worth over credit. Stiles chatted with her, taking his time. After all, how often would such an epic moment of parenting happen right in front of him? He had to make it last. He finished up the transaction.

"So, that's two consoles, sixty-three games, all rated M and T and in good condition, three headsets, six controllers, and one hell of a story, all for the buyback price of $367.53," Stiles paused, his hand hovering over the confirm button on the register. "Are you certain?

"Absolutely," Mom said with a truly brilliant smile.

Stiles handed her the long receipt and prepared to say goodbye. Then, she went from good to great. From greatness to all powerful Mom of the year.

"Actually, I would like to a Wii, a copy of Animal Crossing, Just Dance, Monkey Ball, and Wii sport. Would my store credit cover that?" Mom asked as she looked at each item on the Wii wall.

"Let me check," Stiles typed in the order and waited. "Yes, it would. With about $30 dollars to spare if you bought the Wii-four controller combo pack using my employee friends and family discount. You could use the extra $30 for some controller skins so the remotes are less slippery.

"Yes, excellent. Thank you, dear," Mom smiled at him. "That sounds lovely. One last question."

"Anything, ma'am," Stiles bowed to her. She laughed. 

"My son has been begging for a new Xbox One for months. Do you have a box for one of those? Just the box," This was when Mom went from epic Mother of the Year to God Tier status. Stiles was sure that if such a thing existed, the coalition of Gamestop employees around the world would fall to their knees and worship at her feet and bring her grapes and small piles of gold as tribute. What transpired next was the greatest thing to ever happen to Stiles up until this day, except for maybe the day Derek admitted he wanted to go on a date with him. But it was close.

It was glorious.

"You're going to put that Wii in that box and give it to you, are you?" Stiles matched Mom's conniving look as he handed her the distinctive box. The display Xbox One didn't need its box anyways. "Oh my god you are my hero, my lady."

"Thank you," Mom held the box open while Stiles slid the Wii into the box. "I'll add a note when I get home that tells him about the dangers of lying to his mother and abusing her trust. That ought to keep this from happening again."

And with that, Mom packed up her bags, took the box under her arm, and left after promising to take the online survey.

"I'm sorry, dear. What's your name again? I want to make sure your boss knows how helpful you've been. You were so patient," Mom waited as Stiles wrote his name on the receipt.

"My name is Stiles, ma'am. But if your son asks, my name is Jackson," Stiles handed her the receipt. That should keep his house from being egged. 

Later, since he had gotten the highest trade numbers in store history and a glowing review from Mom and a few of her friends that also traded in their sons' ill-gotten M-rated games, Stiles was named employee of the month and promoted to store manager with a pay raise that allowed him to save money for college and occasionally pay for a movie for him and Derek. He never forgot Mom, and her story never faded from Gamestop history.

 


End file.
